Interreligious Dialogue

AMCrenshaw said:

I am a practicing Zen Christian, looking to enter a dialogue with an Evangelical or Fundamental Christian.

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Okay, this is a new one on me. What is a Zen Chrisitian?

Zen Christian is a new term for me too. Sounds like what was once called a mystic.

Doodlebug said:

Okay, this is a new one on me. What is a Zen Chrisitian?

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Buddhism actually has no Gods, no idol worship, no magic, no person-worship. I see people mix Buddhism with the religion of their choice all the time. When my father was still alive and running his Buddhist e-group, (It was sort of a local Buddhist phone book) he would frequently get calls from Vietnamese newcomers who would want to know the location of the nearest temple of their sect--followed immediately by the location of a nearby catholic church.

For more information, check out, "That's Funny, You Don't Look Buddhist: On Being a Faithful Jew and a Passionate Buddhist." by Sylvia Boorstein.

"Zen Christian" is probably an individual designation, rather than an actual defined belief system. For example, Thomas Merton might have been considered by some to have been a "Zen Christian" though he never called himself that. He was a Christian first, in doctrine, a monk who used Zen meditative practices later in life to enhance his prayer life. Buddhism and Christianity are two very different belief systems, though the mystical practices in each might look similar. There are 'mystics' of many different religious faiths. Mysticism is simply a 'style' or approach to one's faith that is heavily oriented in the sense of union with one's God. Being a mystic of any religious faith is often a matter of one's spiritual 'personality' as much as anything else (eg. the apostle Paul was a Christian mystic). Personally, the Christian mystics have contributed deeply to my own faith; many of their top-notch writings can be read at the CCEL website.

AMC, we've PMd before, and you know I'm always open. Write anytime.

AMC, you're free to ask that people not ask you more questions in this thread about what you've posted. But people are free to comment on your opening post, particularly if they're trying to discern just what it is you are saying. Anytime you post an opening thread you open yourself up to people discussing what you've posted. Keep that in mind.

AMCrenshaw said:

I am a practicing Zen Christian, looking to enter a dialogue with an Evangelical or Fundamental Christian. If you are interested, PM me. We would discuss one topic per week for a couple of weeks, and then say Peace Be With You and go about our lives.


These are some guidelines for our discussion:

http://astro.temple.edu/~dialogue/Antho/decalog.htm

Thank you.

AMC

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I'll send you a pm shortly

mark